1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a throttle lever device or increasing and/or decreasing the output of an engine via throttle cable attached to a handlebar of a water jet bike or a snowmobile in the vicinity of a grip thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 13, in a conventional throttle lever of this type, a throttle cable 6 is provided for connecting an operation lever 3 and a throttle valve (not shown) of a carburetor. This throttle lever device is fixedly attached to a right-hand side of a handlebar 7 in the vicinity of a grip 8 attached to an end of the handlebar, when viewed from an operator in a travelling direction, via a synthetic resin bracket 1 and a holder 2, which are attached to the handlebar 7 in such a manner as to hold it therebetween and are fixedly clamped together with an attachment bolt 5. A support shaft 4 is put through the bracket 1 vertically, so that the operation lever 3 is rotatably supported thereon at a rear end portion thereof. The throttle cable 6 is connected to a front end portion of the operation lever 3 at a drum-like member 6a affixed to a tip thereof. In this construction, the operation lever 3 is rotated about the support shaft 4 when it is grasped with the fingers, whereby the throttle cable 6 is in turn pulled to thereby open the throttle valve.
The aforesaid water jet bike or snowmobile is turned to the left or right when the handlebar 7 is so turned. When turning the handlebar in such a way, as shown in FIG. 14, the position of the fingers of the rider changes vertically relative to the operation lever 3 due to the fact that the handlebar 7 is turned at a certain angle relative to the vehicle body and that the arm of the rider is flexed and/or extended during such operations.
In other words, when turning to the left, as shown on the rightmost side of FIG. 14, since the arm is extended, the wrist being flexed slightly upwardly, the tips of the fingers tend to move upwardly when compared with the position of the fingers assumed when riding straight as shown at the center of the drawing. On the contrary, when turning to the right, as shown on the leftmost side of the drawing, since the arm is flexed, the wrist being extended slightly downwardly, the tips of the fingers tend to move downwardly when compared with the position thereof assumed when riding straight as shown at the center of the drawing. When these happen, with the conventional throttle lever device, since it is allowed to rotate in horizontal directions but is not in vertical directions, the operation lever 3 cannot follow the movements of the fingers of the rider, leading to a drawback that the operability is deteriorated.
The present invention improves the operability of a water jet bike or a snowmobile by constructing an operation lever 3 of a throttle lever device such that it oscillates relative to a throttle lever bracket in vertical directions at a front end portion thereof, so that the operation lever 3 can follow the movements of the fingers of the rider when he or she operates and turns a handlebar 7.
In other words, a first aspect according to the present invention provides a throttle lever device wherein an operation lever 3 is allowed to move vertically relative to a throttle lever bracket 1 within a certain range at a front end portion thereof, and wherein a throttle cable 6 is operated directly or indirectly through gripping operations of the operation lever 3.
A second aspect according to the present invention provides a throttle lever device, wherein a bracket 1 for a throttle lever is provided adjacent to an inside of a grip 8 provided at an end of a handlebar 7, wherein a support shaft 4 is provided and extended in a vertical direction at a front portion of the bracket 1, so that an opening of a driving arm 11 is rotatably supported thereon, which driving arm has a substantially U-shaped cross-section and with a front end internal surface of which a drum-like member 6a of a throttle cable 6 is brought into engagement, wherein a shaft 11a is provided and extended in a horizontal direction at an inner rearward portion of the U-shaped driving arm 11, so that the operation lever 3 is rotatably supported on the shaft at a rear end portion thereof, and wherein the operation lever 3 is constructed such that it oscillates in vertical directions at a front end thereof.
A third aspect according to the present invention provides a throttle lever device as set forth in the second invention, wherein a moderating mechanism is provided between the operation arm 3 and an internal surface of the driving arm 11.
A fourth aspect according to the present invention provides a throttle lever device, wherein a bracket 1 for a throttle lever is provided adjacent to an inside of a grip 8 provided at an end of a handlebar 7, which bracket has a hollow support portion 1d having upper and lower curved surfaces 1b at a front portion thereof, which support portion has a transversely elongated rectangular hole-like opening 1c formed in a front portion thereof and a longitudinally elongated hole 1a formed in the upper and lower curved surfaces, wherein an operator 22 having a barrel-type external surface is disposed inside the support portion 1d, and a support shaft is fixed to an axial center of the operator 22 with ends of the shaft 4 being allowed to protrude outwardly from the upper and lower elongated holes 1a, wherein an arm portion 21c of a cable driving arm 21 is provided in such a manner as to protrude forwardly from the opening 1c with a drum-like member 6a of a throttle cable 6 being locked to a distal end of the cable driving arm 21, which cable driving arm 21 has formed at a rear end thereof a pipe-like base portion 21a adapted to rotate on an outer circumferential surface of the barrel-type operator 22 inside the support portion 1d, wherein an inwardly formed opening of the operation lever 3 having a U-shaped cross-section is rotatably supported at both end portions of the support shaft 4 in such a manner as to cover the cable driving arm 21, and wherein an arc-like projection 3c is provided at a front inner end portion of the operation lever 3 for abutment with a distal inner end portion of the cable driving arm 21.
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 10-282161, filed on Oct. 5, 1999, and which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.